Ariana Grande: New Sound, Who Dis?

Monique Njimeni

On October 23rd, Ariana Grande put out her new single, “Positions,” and boy, what a vibe it was. From the pop hook to the message she portrays, the song is just phenomenal. With the help of violins, a guitar, tap drums, and her angelic voice, Grande expresses how she would change up her life for the one she loves. With lines like “Switching up positions for you” or “But I get tired of running, f--- it now I'm running with you,'' she conveys how much she's in love with her significant other and what she would do now that she is in love. Ariana Grande wrote songs about her relationships in the past, and this new song reflects the current relationship she's in with Dalton Gomez. Ariana Grande also announced her new album “Positions” would drop on October 30th, 2020 at midnight. As of now AG6 “Positions” have dropped. Unlike her mournful album, “thank u, next,” “Positions” is playful and filled with self-reflection, love, and sexuality. She changes her tone with lyrics like “all them demons helped me see s--- differently/so don’t be sad for me,” she flows through her song “shut up” as the orchestra supports her. For “off the table” featuring the band The Weenknd, many people were excited to see them together again since they collaborated back in 2014 for the song “Love me Harder” from her album “My Everything.” In “off the table” she wonders if she can ever love the same way after losing someone she once loved. Many of her fans, including myself, wondered if she was talking about the late Mac Miller, who she dated from 2016 to 2018. The Weeknd returned the message with lyrics “I’ll wait for you, even though it always feels like I’ll be number two.” 

Grande gets sexual in “nasty” and “34+35,” which is a big move for any female artist. Female artists are more likely to get criticized for talking about sexual pleasantries as were Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, who received criticism for their song “WAP.” This album is filled with pop, retro funk, and of course R&B. You definitely hear these genres in songs like “motive” ft. Doja Cat, “west side,” “love language,” “safety net” ft. Ty Dolla Sign, and my personal favorite song, “my hair”. Fans went crazy over the song on Twitter, mainly for the bluesy sound and Grande’s whistle on the last verse. The “Positions” album has 14 songs. Grande’s last song, “pov,” really touched the hearts of her fans. She displays her happiness by singing, “I want to love me, the way that you love me” or “nobody’s ever loved me like you do”. 

“Positions” is now the number one album on iTunes and Grande's Song “34+35” is quickly climbing the Hot 100. Ariana Grande had a love theme going on in her album. She reminded us that love is a powerful thing. Good or bad, love can really influence you. When the right person comes along, you never want to let that go. As long as it's a healthy kind of love, it should really be your guide. In general, life should be guided by love and not hate. If you haven’t heard “Positions” by Ariana Grande, stream it now! Grande will change your life by one note of her voice.